Nothing Left
by Katiyana
Summary: Musings of a man who has and has had everything but lost the most precious things in life.


Title : Nothing Left

Summary : Musings of a man who has and has had everything but lost the most precious things.

Note : This is a definite foray into angst. It's been an idea that's been around for some time. Please tell me what you think. Thanks loads !

I have everything that money can buy. But as I sit in my expensively furnished office with the thick soft carpeting and the tastefully decorated walls, I am slowly coming to the conclusion that I have nothing left worth living for.

I'm wearing the best and most excellently tailored suit that money can buy. On my table, sits a glass of the most exquisitely cut crystal with a bottle of liquor so costly that its price could have fed a family for a month. The view I have from my bullet-proof window is one any self-respecting millionaire would covet.

Yet, with all the security and comfort and prestige, I cannot close my eyes and sleep. There is simply no rest for me and I am old and now so weary. So tired of everything in my lavish and luxurious life.

How could I have made so many mistakes? For a man who has gathered so much and seen so much of this world, how could I just have let it all be swept away like that? The worst thing is that I have absolutely no one to blame but myself.

It was purely business deal in the beginning. Then some things went a little bit wrong. After that, more people got sloppy and things simply went downhill.

Of course it had to be taken care of. Unfortunately, taking care of those loose ends meant that some unpleasant things had to be done. I have people to make sure that those things are done well and not linked back to me. It's not the first time, drastic measures have been taken.

This time, my daughter's dedicated crew of CSIs nosed around as usual. Generally, they didn't find anything much pertaining to me. But there was one more loose end to tie up.

The men I hired were too clean and efficient. I had underestimated the dedication of the infamous Dr. Gil Grissom. He was extremely good at what he did, passionate and smart. That's probably why my daughter loved him and married him. But that passion and tenacity was probably what got him killed. He simply wouldn't stay away from the case he was on until he had solved every last riddle.

His death started a whole chain of inevitable events. My daughter was understandably distraught. I have to admit, he was wonderful to her and my granddaughter. Much better than the girl's real father, even I knew that for a fact.

Catherine refused to rest until they had uncovered every single shred of evidence. Dr. Grissom's tenacity in solving a crime was nothing compared to the determination my daughter possessed in bringing to justice the people who had caused the death of her beloved husband. There was no stone left unturned, nothing too small to ignore.

The professionals I hired had ties to other powerful men. They could not allow themselves to be caught. Too many powerful people had shady deals and they would not tolerate the slightest indiscretion. They tell me that they had no choice but to eliminate my daughter. They had first tried to scare her away, but she simply refused to back off.

While they were not keen on the idea of making an enemy of me, there were others who would be more ruthless and lethal should they be caught. They weighed their options and made a decision. They said that it was not a personal issue or anything of the sort, simply something that they had to do in their line of business. A part of the job.

When they came to tell me, I could do nothing. She was dead. A professionally executed assassination. Yet something had also gone a little wrong, there was evidence against them.

Lindsay, my granddaughter had caught the murder of her mother on a miniature camera that she had been experimenting with. She had installed it as part of a school project. She had never dreamed that it would play such a devastating part in her young life.

The authorities and my daughter's friends acted quickly for fear of her safety. My granddaughter was taken away and put into the witness protection program. She would assume a new identity that was designed to last for the rest of her life. That was what I found out eventually.

Catherine and Grissom's friends realized the danger that she was in and had vowed to keep her safe. The team of CSIs had been a close knit group and had mourned deeply the passing of their senior members.

I lost them all. My daughter, my granddaughter and the unborn child who had perished when my daughter's life had been snuffed out. There was nothing left.

Catherine's mother somehow knew. She had a feeling that I was tied to it all and she refuses to even look at me. To her, I do not exist on this earth anymore. I am as dead as the daughter she has buried in the ground.

What exactly do I have left? Nothing. Everything I've ever worked for. Nothing can make up for the losses. Nothing.

I look at the monitor which shows the activity at the reception desk of my private offices. There is a commotion there. They have come.

The CSIs and the police. My daughter and her husband's friends. They have come to tear apart the place because of the evidence I deliberately fed them. For what more I have to lose or gain?

They can come. They can find all the evidence that they need. Nothing matters anymore.

They can come but I will not be here. I'm not sure about whether my daughter has ended up in heaven, but I sure pray that that is the case. She deserves happiness. As for me, I'm sure I'll end up straight in hell. It's time to go.


End file.
